The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
A weekend split with the Kindersley Klippers has the Flin Flon Bombers two points back of the Nipawin Hawks for the final playoff spot in the Dodge Conference. The Bombers beat the Klippers 5-2 on Friday night in one of their best played games so far this season, but a sluggish effort on Saturday saw the Klippers reciprocate the score. Over 1,000 fans braved the cold temperatures on both nights, creating an atmosphere that hasn't been seen at the Whitney Forum since the days of the Royal Bank Cup. In the first game, Curtis Bazylinski opened the scoring for Kindersley at 1:55 to silence the crowd momentarily, but Andrew Skrabek's power-play goal at 8:20 got the crowd and the Bombers right back in the game. Skrabek used his long reach to tip Derek Gallagher's point shot behind goaltender Nathan Deobald, with Stewart Sjoberg picking up the other assist. Jeff LaPointe extended his goal-scoring streak to five games with an unusual goal at 11:06. His dump-in rebounded off the glass and into the net for an unassisted goal. Joey Moggach buried a loose puck at 17:00 to give the Bombers a 3-1 lead heading into the dressing room. The goal was assisted by LaPointe and Julian Matte on the power play. Kyle Holmes scored his third of the year on a tip from a Bob Graham shot at 6:08 of the second period. Derek Gallagher also assisted on the power-play goal. Anatoliy Moshkovsky made it 5-1 with a breakaway goal at 5:15 of the third period, going 5-hole. Joey Moggach and goaltender Francois Laverdrere picked up the assists. The Klippers finally got back in the game on a goal by Kevin Aylward at 6:15, but Laverdrere shut the door again. Laverdrere made 32 saves to earn his first win as a Flin Flon Bomber. Kindersley out shot Flin Flon 24-28, but failed to score on six chances with the man advantage, while the Bombers went 3/6 on the power play. Jimo King and Joe Gori made their debuts with the Bombers on Friday. Gori played well with line mates Anatoliy Moshkovsky and Joey Moggach, while King showed his versatility, playing in a number of different situations, and dropping the gloves when the situation called for it. With an injury to John Iron and both Derek Blais and Kevin Burwell sitting out suspensions, the Bombers were able to call up local Midget prospect Ryan Cosgrove, who earned some ice time on the grinding line. Blais returned to the lineup for Saturday's contest, but unfortunately, the Bombers were unable to welcome him back with a victory. Things were looking good for the Bombers early on, as Joe Gori scored his first goal as a Flin Flon Bomber at 6:58 of the first period to open the scoring. A good play by Daryl Fransoo caused the Klippers to turn the puck over, and Gori showed off his flash with a little dipsy doodle to put the puck short side on goaltender Nathan Deobald. Trevor Olynick picked up an assist as well as Fransoo. Unfortunately, the Bombers relaxed after drawing first blood, and this mistake cost them dearly. Quick goals by Curtis Bazylinski and Casey Lee at 12:11 and 12:55 respectively gave the Klippers a 2-1 lead after the first period. Flin Flon was out shot 23-12 in the opening frame, but rebounded in the second period. Andrew Skrabek tied the game for Flin Flon at 3:51 with a power-play goal assisted by Joey Moggach and Jeff LaPointe, but Brady Larock's goal at 5:16 put Kindersley in front for good. Jade Boklaschuk added a goal at 18:15, and also scored on a power play at 7:47 of the third period to ice the 5-2 Kindersley win. Nathan Deobald won the goaltending battle on Saturday, stopping 39 shots for the win. Francois Laverdrere made 38 saves in the losing cause. The Bombers got a little help from the Humboldt Broncos this weekend, who took over first place with a pair of wins over the Nipawin Hawks, allowing the Bombers to inch closer to the final playoff spot in the Dodge Conference. This coming weekend, it will be Flin Flon's turn to clash with the Broncos, as the Bombers visit Humboldt for games on Friday and Saturday. Flin Flon's next game, however, will be Wednesday, when they travel to La Ronge to take on the Ice Wolves.
